Johnston Press warns of impending newspaper job cuts

Johnston Press has announced an impending wave of job cuts as it looks to reduce costs in a "relentless" market.

The publisher's recently appointed group editor-in-chief, Jeremy Clifford, informed the 3,000-plus members of staff that it would be making job cuts across its 220-plus regional newspaper titles.

In an internal email to staff Clifford said “I want to be open with you, too, and say that we have had to look at the cost of providing that content with a view to making savings where we can appropriate to the business needs of the company."

Following a newsroom review he said the company “have identified a number of areas where job reductions will come from and how that may affect different teams directly."

He added: "We know, and appreciate, that this is not news you want to hear, especially after such a challenging year. The rate and pace of change is unsettling and sometimes it feels pretty relentless.”

In the email Clifford maintained that the publisher would continue its "focus on increasing our digital and mobile audience" while attempting to "stabilise print circulation through providing the right, relevant content,”

"We need to consider if we have we got the right mix of managers, writers and those who curate and collate content from our communities. Other considerations include looking at the print portfolio, and have we got the websites most appropriate for our markets.”

A number of announcements regarding the changes will be made and those affect will be told by Friday.

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